Parent protest at Batley Grammar - prophet Mohammed

[Biggus thingus]

Teacher suspended for using cartoons of prophet to discuss religious extremism

https://www.examinerlive.co.uk/news/local-news/liv...

Freedom of speech?

[red_slr]

Dont know dont care but no doubt the local police (thus us) will now need to spend ££££££ protecting the school and the teacher involved.

[Mojooo]

Not much sympathy for the teacher TBH..........unless he or she wants to be free expression martyr.

[Pieman68]

It's a fine line but in this day and age surely all are aware of the possible consequences. Freedom of speech is not freedom from consequences

As an old Batelian myself it's sad to see what was such a great school having it's name dragged through the mud

[ReverendCounter]

Shocking to see a gang of male thugs outside the school screaming for the head teacher.

[Jinx]

One way to show extremism and religious intolerance but I think I would of gone with the "pro-lifers in the US" as a safer teaching tool. I hope all those making threats are arrested because as the say "consequences" ......

[A Winner Is You]

Pieman68 said:

It's a fine line but in this day and age surely all are aware of the possible consequences. Freedom of speech is not freedom from consequences

As an old Batelian myself it's sad to see what was such a great school having it's name dragged through the mud

We should not have de facto blasphemy laws in 2021.

[PeteinSQ]

Whilst I agree with the principle of free speech I'm not sure a class in school is really the time to be going for this inflammatory example. Not causing massive offense to a section of your pupils just seems like good manners to me?

[Zoon]

Biggus thingus said:

Teacher suspended for using cartoons of prophet to discuss religious extremism

https://www.examinerlive.co.uk/news/local-news/liv...

Freedom of speech?

How ironic, discuss religious extremism, become victim of religious extremism.
It's almost like they are living up to the stereotype.

[Biggus thingus]

it's another embarrassing incident in multicultural britain

I hope it just goes away, unfortunately i can also see this could ending up being a major dispute

[Type R Tom]

Pieman68 said:

It's a fine line but in this day and age surely all are aware of the possible consequences. Freedom of speech is not freedom from consequences

So the consequence of displaying a cartoon in the UK in 2021 is to lose your job, pension, home etc. Seems a little extreme to me.

[Type R Tom]

There are a few other clips on twitter, have to say the protest does appear a little on the "extreme" side of things.

[TwigtheWonderkid]

PeteinSQ said:

Whilst I agree with the principle of free speech I'm not sure a class in school is really the time to be going for this inflammatory example. Not causing massive offense to a section of your pupils just seems like good manners to me?

Just because people are offended doesn't make them right. And why does anyone think they have the right to go thru life without being offended anyway?

One of my kids did To Kill a Mockingbird at school. Which included a discussion about racist language and attitudes in the American deep south, and this was in a London comp with many black and Asian kids.

No one got offended or upset about the racist language because .......context is everything.

[Zoon]

TwigtheWonderkid said:

PeteinSQ said:

Whilst I agree with the principle of free speech I'm not sure a class in school is really the time to be going for this inflammatory example. Not causing massive offense to a section of your pupils just seems like good manners to me?

Just because people are offended doesn't make them right. And why does anyone think they have the right to go thru life without being offended anyway?

One of my kids did To Kill a Mockingbird at school. Which included a discussion about racist language and attitudes in the American deep south, and this was in a London comp with many black and Asian kids.

No one got offended or upset about the racist language because .......context is everything.

I hope they took the knee before each lesson.

[Starfighter]

I would guess it would depend upon the context of using the cartoons - Piss takes of the Prophet in isolation may be more or an issue that if included in a range of material covering multiple faiths.

[Radec]

Stupid from the teacher who apparently has done this before, so he should have known already it would cause offence, which now in turn may cost him his job.

I'm sure the pitfalls of religious extremism could have been taught without the need for the pictures to be shown especially in what looks like a majority Muslim community.

The school has already deemed and agreed the material as offensive and taken the proper actions in removing it following the proper protocols.

Maybe they need to adjust the curriculum so no material is shared that would cause offence to Muslims, Jews, Christians, Hindus, Sikhs etc and instead focus on being accepting and tolerant of people from different faiths, backgrounds etc, while still highlighting the minority views of religious extremism with a common sense approach.

[PeteinSQ]

TwigtheWonderkid said:

Just because people are offended doesn't make them right. And why does anyone think they have the right to go thru life without being offended anyway?

One of my kids did To Kill a Mockingbird at school. Which included a discussion about racist language and attitudes in the American deep south, and this was in a London comp with many black and Asian kids.

No one got offended or upset about the racist language because .......context is everything.

That is somewhat different you know. I was brought up as a catholic and I wouldn't have wanted to go to a school that burnt an effigy of the pope on bonfire night for a laugh.

What's the point in being deliberately provocative? I know muslims that get upset about this sort of thing are pretty silly, you know that, this teacher also knows that, but honestly what's the point in doing this? What purpose does it really serve?

[take-good-care-of-the-forest-dewey]

It would be awesome if the school press statement simply said:

"Thank you for making our teacher's point"

[Zoon]

PeteinSQ said:

TwigtheWonderkid said:

Just because people are offended doesn't make them right. And why does anyone think they have the right to go thru life without being offended anyway?

One of my kids did To Kill a Mockingbird at school. Which included a discussion about racist language and attitudes in the American deep south, and this was in a London comp with many black and Asian kids.

No one got offended or upset about the racist language because .......context is everything.

That is somewhat different you know. I was brought up as a catholic and I wouldn't have wanted to go to a school that burnt an effigy of the pope on bonfire night for a laugh.

What's the point in being deliberately provocative? I know muslims that get upset about this sort of thing are pretty silly, you know that, this teacher also knows that, but honestly what's the point in doing this? What purpose does it really serve?

Maybe he wasn't being provocative, maybe it was a lesson in how to behave rationally which the parents seem to have failed.

[Pieman68]

To be clear I don't agree with it, and personally am of the opinion that belief in any sky pixies should be condemned to the dustbin where it belongs and has no place in our schools

However, an educated person is well aware of the current climate and possible consequences

I'm on a group for old boys of the school and opinion is split - it would appear that the cartoon was displayed alongside a discussion around the subsequent terror attack on the Charlie Hebdo offices, but had not been cleared with the headteacher

Whilst I believe in freedom of speech I am also conscious of the consequences of that. In a scenario such as this it beggars belief that a supposedly intelligent person did not foresee the possible issues it could cause